


Test Subject

by anodyneAvian



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Cuddling, First Kiss, M/M, Post-Scratch, Yellow Yard, crying dave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-15
Updated: 2012-02-15
Packaged: 2017-10-31 05:00:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/340199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anodyneAvian/pseuds/anodyneAvian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>John stared back for a moment. Then Dave spoke with a question he had not been expecting to hear. “John, do you like me?” Dave asked, curiosity shining through in his eyes. He drummed his fingers along the hood of John’s god tier outfit.</p><p>“Of course I do Dave. We’re best bros, remember?”<br/>~~~~~~~~~~~<br/>When John catches a certain sprite crying, they end up having a very awkward conversation. But really, it proves to be of use to them and leads into something a bit more surprising for the two of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Test Subject

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a sort of VDay thing, but really, I just wanted an excuse to write something like this with one of my endless amounts of favorite pairings.
> 
> I fixed up a few things on here from the original post on my tumblr.

John gave a soft smile to his sister, glancing back down at the monopoly board in front of him. He was so going to win this time, he could just feel it.They had been playing it for sometime now, though by this point, time really didn’t matter so long as it passed.

Jade tried to prevent a yawn and miserably failed. John blinked back up at her, and she flashed an apologetic smile. “Don’t touch the board,” she began before another yawn interrupted her, “we’ll finish the game later.” Later. Never tomorrow, or the next day, or in the morning. Always later. John never would have guessed he’d miss such simple things such as the word ‘morning’ or ‘evening’

He nodded, even if he felt a bit resentful to go to bed right now. With no sun or moon, it was always the same unless you turned on an electric light inside the ship - always that same green, never bright but never dark.

Jade stood up, flattening down her skirts. She had taken off her dog tier - John caught himself, mentally correcting it with God tier - outfit for the day, so it could be washed. John still wore his, having washed it with water from Jade’s planet earlier on.

She bid him good bye, and good night, kissing him lightly on the forehead. That had been something she had been starting to devlop and to John it made her seem like his mom. However, he really didn’t care, and whether it was the lack of a prominent feminine person in his life growing up, the lack of physical communication for the last little while, or the loss of what he had considered his family, he really hoped she would never stop.

“G’night,” he murmured to his paradox sister, before she began to head off into the place she had claimed as her sleeping area. With yet another yawn and a scratch on the ear, Jade disappeared around the corner. John, unlike her, didn’t really have a “sleep area”. There wasn’t many places on the planets to sleep comfortably - his home was wrecked and he didn’t feel ready to face it and all the memories that came with it; not yet, maybe never. It felt too odd to sleep in both Rose’s and Dave’s houses - he knew from experience sadly. So, he had sort of slept around in the most platonic sense.

John stood, and stretched his legs, the joints cracking at his movements. He glanced around and figured that no one would touch the game, as it was owned by the Witch and the Heir after all.

He sauntered off, eyes feeling heavy now. Yeah, sleep did sound like a good idea. John headed below deck, the shinning golden walls of the prosprit ship swimming around him like a beautiful maze. It was a good thing he wasn’t claustrophobic. Keeping one arm on a wall, just in case the haul of the ship really _was_ a maze, he searched for doors. The crew would have had to sleep some place and in a ship this size he figured they’d have room for some standard but still comfortable sleeping bunks. Maybe even a fancy captain cabin, like in some of the pirate movies he vaguely remembered from years ago.

Lost in thought, John didn’t notice he had come to a dead end until he finally registered the change in air flow in front of him. He blinked sheepishly, before turning around. _Time to try again and, this time, pay attention!_ He told himself.

He paused at one door, frowning as he could have sworn he had heard something. It sounded like crying. Jade? John pressed a hand onto the door, opening it slowly though it had not been fully closed. No, it sounded a bit too masculine for Jade’s voice. A small hiccuped Peep came from the room, making John pause again. Peep… none of the consorts peeped as far as he knew. Carapaces could probably peep but he doubted it sound like this. Then who?

_**Davesprite.** _

When realization hit, John felt a bit terrible. He had been forgetting the poor sprite more and more now, along side forgetting about Jaspersprite and, even sometimes Nanna. (Jadesprite was of course hard to forget considering she was his sister and now a god tier!)

John pushed the door open a few more centimeters, peeking in. By this point, he had been heard. The metal door was far from being quiet. Davesprite was obviously trying to stop his crying at the sound, sniffling as softly as he could. He was turned away, wiping furiously at his face to get rid of what John assumed were tears.

Neither of them spoke for the longest time.

“Go away, Jade,” Davesprite said, voice sounding drained but still like John assumed a pokefaced-Strider would sound like.

“Last I checked, my name was John," he gave a tiny, anxious laugh in hopes to bring up the mood. No ‘oops I forgot about you’ slip ups today. Though, John couldn’t see what was so wrong with such. It was an honest mistake!

Davesprite gave a grunt. With his back facing John, John couldn’t tell what expression he had nor pinpoint what the grunt had meant. John kept standing there, several meters away, in utter awkwardness.

Davesprite’s crowlike hands, just as orange as the rest of him, slipped his sunglasses on in one swift movement. “You still there, Egderp?” He said lazily, voice croaking a bit from the sobbing. He glanced at John for the first time during the whole encounter. John swallowed, wondering why his mouth felt so dry suddenly.

“Of course!” he answered. Davesprite’s face stayed ever undecipherable. He gave a tiny little nod, like John’s dad sometimes did but even then he couldn’t tell what the sprite was thinking.

“You gonna leave any time soon?” Davesprite asked bluntly, curling his tail around in the nest of different things from around both the ships and the planets. Things that probably wouldn’t be missed but seemed comfy enough. John had to grimace at the sight of dried blood on a few things; red - indicating it wasn’t Davesprite’s.

“…why? Do you want me too?” John asked in reply, perplexed.

“Of course,” answered Davesprite after much hesitation. John frowned at his tone, which mocked John's earlier reply. “I’m a lone wolf - or crow, whatever - I don’t need any wind socks bothering me while I try to get my nap on.”

John frowned even more at that, knowing that was probably supposed to be a jab against his hood. “My hood isn’t that bad.”

“It’s longer than your body and probably my tail too. It’s bad.”

John rolled his eyes, before putting on a very Vriska-eque voice. “The real Dave’s is loooooooot more dorky. It’s hella tight on his head, you can even see his ears through the fabric!” The sound of rustling arose from Davesprite, as he moved to face away from John even more.He made a small sound - a mix of a wounded cry and a choked sob.

"Get. Out. _Now_!” He ordered through clenched teeth.

John blinked in confusion. Why was he… oh. _Oh._ He had done it again. John swallowed once more. “Listen, I… I’m sorry Davesprite. I didn’t mean it like that it’s just… I … and," he trailed off, unable to think of a good excuse for more or less calling him a fake.

“I said get out,” Davesprite snarled, trying to stay hushed and cool but failing, “and my name isn’t Davesprite! It’s Dave! Just Dave.”

John just stood there, as Davesprite turned around and curled into a ball, most likely trying to hide any and all emotion.

Against his better judgement, John moved closer. He felt terrible now. When he got close enough, Dave’s tail began to curl itself around his ankle. John smiled softly, taking this as an urge to move closer.

Boy, was he wrong.

It took him a few moments to register the aching feeling in his head, as it collided with the hard, shiny floor. Davesprite looked out at him from over his feathers, face blank yet so cold. He removed his tail from John’s ankle so John could stand without getting tripped again.

John checked his glasses over, which were okay even if he had fallen face first. Or chin first, he figured. He got up and continued his trek forward, Dave letting out the smallest of an exasperated sigh.

“You’re a real deteminator, aren’t ya, Egderp? Deteminator is an Egbertian word by the way,” Dave rambled on.

John just gave him a simple blink in reply. More jabs at him but it was Dave and they were bro’s, so it was okay, right?

He felt a bit worse about his other regards towards Davesprite as that thought ran though his overly exhausted mind. This was Dave. Not fake Dave. Just Dave in another form. It would have been like if he got called fake John just because Davesprite knew a John that had died very early on. And John knew he would have hated that as well.

John plopped down beside him, hanging off the side of the finely dubbed nest. He smiled apologetically at Davesprite. ”Sorry… Dave,” he said, taking in a deep breath. Dave gave something like a sad smile, which looked beyond strange on his face. Much to John’s surprise, he pulled him closer, huddling John under his good wing as he did his best to not jab him with his nails. John blinked, glancing down at Dave's wounds and hoped that Dave wouldn't get hurt by this close contact.

When they both seemed comfortable, Dave let his head lay on John’s chest. John himself tried to ignore any implications from such an action.

“So, you forgive me?” John asked excitedly, hope in his eyes. Wow, the nest was comfier than he had though, while Dave's wings and feathers were oftly soft and smooth.

“No,” Dave began as John’s face fell. “you’re still a huge douche. But you’re my dorky friend and I am going to be stuck here for three goddamn years, so might as well try to not hold a huge grudge on ya.”

John smiled at that in spite of himself. He nodded, before finally letting himself sleep. It took a bit, but the humming of Dave’s heart - which pounded too fast and too loud for a human - helped him drift off easier.

In the morning, if it could really be called that, John’s muscles were stiff but he still figured it to be a good night’s sleep. Dave was awake, watching him with his glasses off. He flinched at bit at John's gaze, but made now move to put them back on.

Orange eyes stared at him and for a moment John caught himself feeling shocked. Did the Other Dave have eyes like that? No. Didn’t seem likely, after all, all of Davesprite was orange. Orange eyes weren’t a thing for Humans, right? John stared back for a moment. Then Dave spoke with a question he had not been expecting to hear. “John, do you like me?” Dave asked, curiosity shining through in his eyes. He drummed his fingers along the hood of John’s god tier outfit.

“Of course I do Dave. We’re best bros, remember?”

Dave gave a tiny head shake, face stoic once more. “No, I meant do you, uh fuck… _like_ , like me?”

John blinked like he often did around Dave these days, trying to process what had been just said. “Dave, I’m not a homosexual!” He replied, not wanting to sound too rude as he bit his lip. Dave was more sensitive than he had thought after all. Also, what was with all these boys crushing on him lately? 

“Oh. Right,” Dave nodded anyways, glancing away for about a second. Silence came.

“Dave, would you mind if I asked you why you were crying?” John inquired, trying to change the subject.

Dave didn’t answer as he stared at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing ever. Finally, he opened his mouth. “Pent up emotions, I guess. From the past four months or so - for me not you. Wait, no five now, right?” John shrugged in reply. Time wasn’t his thing. “Do you ever feel like that, Egbert?” Dave asked.

“Sometimes. But not much. And not lately, I try not to cry very much anymore!”

“Why?” Dave turned to him, and though John gave a frown because this was suddenly about him, he answered graciously anyways.

“Because when I was starting middle school I used to get bullied for crying so much so I worked on not doing it as much. And anyways, it just makes people sad when you cry," he said, shrugging like that wasn't anything important. Dave didn't say anything, just soaking in this new information that his friend had relayed so easily, like being bullied wasn't that big of a deal. Then again, between being killed, thrown off your own planet, and having the fate of your species in your hands, it sure didnt seem so big anymore. 

Dave nodded finally, before getting up. “I’m heading off, see ya later, Egbert,” he stretched his arms, ruffling his feathers before glancing back. “…Thanks," he said awkwardly before gliding away. John sat there in a slight state of bewilderment. The all mighty knight thanking him? A very pleasant surprise. But they were friends after all.

The rest of the so called day passed without much remark. Meals were quiet and simple with others coming and going as John and Jade ate slowly while they talked. Monopoly was finished with John of course being the monoloply king yet again.

Later in the day, John found himself wondering back to the storage room he had found Davesprite in. Dave was back from doing bird things John guessed, as the sprite flopped onto the nest.

John went in without permission but Dave didn’t get angry at him, so it seemed okay to be there. He flashed a smile and took a seat behind him. Maybe they could talk again… a feelings jam. Wasn’t that one of the things Vriska had mentioned that trolls did?

Dave leaned against his side, more distant today than before. John didn’t mind, just humming a simple piano tune for a bit. They didn’t talk but John wasn’t as disappointed as he had been assuming he would.

More time passed and soon things such as that became the norm. Sometime’s Davesprite would disappear to do something else but it felt nice to be able to spend more time around someone other than Jade, or, Nanna, or Casey, lovely as they were. It was nice to have people he cared about to hug and be around, instead of just talking to them online.

On one particular “feeling’s jam” where they did no talking, Dave seemed to glancing around anxiously a lot. Really, it had been starting to bother John.

“Something wrong?” John asked finally, brow furrowing.

“Promise you won’t smash my head in with your hammer if I," he paused, and after a moment of hesitation, he continued, "tell you?” Dave offered, blinking idly at him as he ran a hand over his bandages.

“Uuhh, deal?" John frowned, before nodding. "Deal,” John replied in much clearer voice, before he felt Dave move forward. His heart nearly stopped as he felt Dave’s chapped lips against his own. They overlapped with John’s, sticking slightly. Their noses bumped together awkwardly, but Dave just turned his head as he mumbled an assumed apology, his breathe warm and sweet smelling, almost like orange pop.

Dave moved a bit closer, his chest pressing up against John’s as his let his hands rest on top of the other’s. His tail curled around John protectively, his eyes falling closed. He looked calm; a foil to John’s surprised expression. The kiss didn’t last long but between the awkward touching and the fact that this was John’s first kiss, it felt far longer. Dave pulled away slowly, before settling back down, chill as ever; acting like he didn’t just kiss another boy.

John’s mind was a buzz, so he didn’t move. A million of thoughts raced through his head. Was he gay? Or bi? Or was Dave a special case? Did he feel anything like that for Dave? Especially bird Dave, whom he was with currently.

And what about Rose…? And Vriska…? Oh, romance was too hard.

His face felt to warm and at his rate he wouldn’t be surprised if the room started to spin. It couldn’t hurt… right? He hoped not anyways. Through the doubt, he tried to get a hold of himself properly before making any action.

“Dude, you alright?” Dave asked, glancing up at him as he did the Strider eyebrow raise (TM).

John nodded. “I’m fine," he paused, as he tried to slow his rushing heart. “Great, actually," He said, moving to kiss Dave again. It was only a test, John told himself, to see if he did sort of like it, nothing more. And through the slight movement of lips and even a bit of wary tongue, the heat, and the tingling feeling of Dave’s nails tracing his chest, John decided that some more tests should probably go through before he could decide if he was gay for Davesprite or not.

Oh, who was he kidding by this point? 


End file.
